Why were women in the middle ages seen as more sexually insatiable than men?
Sexual Desire Contrary to the modern stereotype that views males as more susceptible to sexual desire than females, during the Middle Ages women were often seen as much more lustful than men. General opinion held that men were more rational, active creatures and closer to the spiritual realm, while women were carnal by nature and thus more materialistic. In the Decameron there are many examples of lusty women with insatiable desires. The nuns in III.1 (“whereas a single cock is quite sufficient for ten hens, ten men are hard put to satisfy ten women,” 198), Alibech, who develops a taste for “putting the devil back in Hell” in III.10, and the wife of Calandrino (“this woman’s going to be the death of me… with her insatiable lust…” 661) in IX.3 are just a few examples. Isidore of Seville believed that man derived his name (vir in Latin) from his force (vis), just as woman acquired her name (mulier) from her softness (mollities), and he considered women to be “very passionate… more
A women became a prostitute of her own free will, and without doubt the reasons have altered little with time. Since prostitution was not considered fornication or adultery, their “care” fell under the urban courts. There were serious penalties for the rape or assault of prostitutes. The courts also exacted taxes from brothels. Prostitutes even had their own patron saints, who were usually repentant prostitutes who had become nuns and saints. They were not banned from attending Church, just told where to sit. Although prostitution was a recognised profession, the women were still despised. This is clear from the fact that they were generally only allowed to trade in certain streets. Thomas Cobham, a twelfth century cleric, wrote that prostitutes should be “counted among the wage earners”. He said that although it was wrong for a woman to hire out her body, nevertheless, if she did, she was providing a service and thus should be paid for it. If she enjoyed what she did, the wage became
Sexual Desire Contrary to the modern stereotype that views males as more susceptible to sexual desire than females, during the Middle Ages women were often seen as much more lustful than men. General opinion held that men were more rational, active creatures and closer to the spiritual realm, while women were carnal by nature and thus more materialistic. In the Decameron there are many examples of lusty women with insatiable desires. The nuns in III.1 (“whereas a single cock is quite sufficient for ten hens, ten men are hard put to satisfy ten women,” 198), Alibech, who develops a taste for “putting the devil back in Hell” in III.10, and the wife of Calandrino (“this woman’s going to be the death of me… with her insatiable lust…” 661) in IX.3 are just a few examples. Isidore of Seville believed that man derived his name (vir in Latin) from his force (vis), just as woman acquired her name (mulier) from her softness (mollities), and he considered women to be “very passionate… more
A women became a prostitute of her own free will, and without doubt the reasons have altered little with time. Since prostitution was not considered fornication or adultery, their “care” fell under the urban courts. There were serious penalties for the rape or assault of prostitutes. The courts also exacted taxes from brothels. Prostitutes even had their own patron saints, who were usually repentant prostitutes who had become nuns and saints. They were not banned from attending Church, just told where to sit. Although prostitution was a recognised profession, the women were still despised. This is clear from the fact that they were generally only allowed to trade in certain streets. Thomas Cobham, a twelfth century cleric, wrote that prostitutes should be “counted among the wage earners”. He said that although it was wrong for a woman to hire out her body, nevertheless, if she did, she was providing a service and thus should be paid for it. If she enjoyed what she did, the wage became
